Life Beyond Larvesta
by Peaches of History
Summary: Pokemon eggs are very sought-after objects, apparently; so much so that Team Plasma's new pokemon liberation scheme is developed around them. Meanwhile, life goes on as normal for most everyone else. Until Sawk pops up with the egg Team Plasma wants.
1. Chapter 1

**Since I have writer's block for Unlicht and Sinnlos, I'm posting another story I've been working on. I have a few chapters written already, but I'm posting them one at a time. The pokemon ranger in the beginning is sort of based off the ones from the Black and White games, and then sorta kinda from the ranger games themselves. **

**I own nothing except for any OC's that appear. Enjoy! **

* * *

><p>Salvatore ducked, his head spinning from the blow he had taken earlier. The ranger clutched the egg case to his chest, glancing down at the cargo inside - the egg he had been entrusted with in order to keep it safe. Again he ducked, a chunk of ground flying out from beside him. A narrow escape, he mused, darting in and out of trees, creating a zigzag path behind him to avoid the fire raining down.<p>

_Bang! Bang bang! _The ranger leapt from rock to rock to cross the stream, the water flying up beside him as shots whizzed past his body, so close that he could feel the wind. Any closer and he would be bait for Basculin. Sal hit the last rock with a thud, losing his footing enough to halt him. In the split second it took him to regain that lost footing, a shot barreled through the summer air, plunging itself deep into the left side of his back.

Letting out a loud cry of pain, he staggered for the bank, making it to the other side just barely, only to collapse with a thud on the grass, blood pooling around the wound in his back. He kept the case close to his chest, although his vision was fuzzy from the pain and the unwanted tears that formed in his eyes. He reached for his pokeball belt, running purely on adrenaline now as he sent out Sawk, his loyal companion.

"Sawk," he stammered through the pain. "Take it... Go! The professor..." But now the pain was so great and spread so far throughout his back that he could barely speak, could barely think, and could hardly breathe. Sawk hated to leave his trainer there, dying in the bloodstained grass, but an order was an order, and if Sal was going to die, at least he wouldn't die in vain.

The fighting type disappeared into the trees, the egg case held tightly and in the safest hands possible. Salvatore, meanwhile, glared up at the trees, his eyes glazed over with pain. A ranger wasn't supposed to die this way, of that he was almost absolutely sure. They could die when their missions were completed, and delivering this egg was part of the deal.

"We got 'im now," someone remarked, stepping up on Sal's right side. "We got 'im good."

"Yeah we did!" his compatriot agreed, stepping up on his left side. "There's only one problem." The two men looked at one another, their brows furrowing in utter annoyance and disdain. "He doesn't have the egg."

"Well then I guess we'll have to teach this ranger a lesson then, won't we?" The other smirked, kicking Sal in the side, hard enough to crack a rib. The ranger grunted with pain, coughing as the pain not only burst through his aching back but his chest, knocking the wind right out of him. From the other side, he was kicked again, but harder than the first. He tried to hold in the screams of agony as his ribs broke, snapping like twigs under the blows from the big boots of his assailants.

The two men pummeled Sal, beating him to a bloody pulp, attacking him so bad that their own fists bled and were scarred. All the while they were attacking a defenseless man who couldn't even do a thing to help himself, despite his long days spent training at ranger school and in the field. As the world began to fade to a dark black, Salvatore wondered what would become of him and what would happen to the egg, to Sawk, and why these bastards even wanted it in the first place.

* * *

><p>"I just need to make sure there ain't a crack in the wall," Clay explained, pressing the down button on the elevated platform. After jerking slightly, it started moving downward, past the thick layers of rock all compacted and squished together. "After that mini quake we had it's better to be safe than sorry, 'cause ya never can be too safe."<p>

Tate nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the rock layers, which reminded her of peanut butter sandwiches all stacked one on top of the other. She wasn't partial to heights, but since part of her job was to assist Clay in whatever he needed regarding the gym or the mines, she was forced to "man up" and deal with it. Something she _wasn't _pleased about.

The elevator slowly worked its way down, taking longer to reach the gym's smooth, carved stone floor than Clay would have preferred. "It shouldn't be too bad, but with these things ya never really can tell." He stepped off the elevator, followed by his assistant, who zipped her jacket. Even though the weather was muggy and rainy up on the topside, it was ridiculously cold down here, the way Clay preferred the gym to be.

Clay looked around, his scrutinizing eyes squinting. Tate meandered around, glancing around the vast expanse of the cave-like gym, searching for any cracks visible at first glance. "I don't see any, Clay," she commented, looking over at the gym leader. "Just rocks, rocks, and more rocks."

"Look harder. They ain't gonna pop right out at ya."

She sighed, turning back to the walls, pulling one hand out of her jacket pocket to run it over the rocks. The tiny stones that poked out of the wall scratched at her skin, making her hand jerk away every so often, but she continued searching for cracks. She would until Clay determined that there were no cracks to be found, because so long as she did her job, she would get paid.

"Do you see any?" Tate questioned, looking over her shoulder at the gym leader.

"Not yet I don't, but I ain't done yet. Keep lookin'."

Tate slid her hands up the walls, feeling for any cracks. The little ones had always been there - she had been down in this gym so many times before the quake that she remembered which cracks were which. When she was bored she imagined them expanding and little bug pokemon crawling out, but those were on off days. Bug type pokemon weren't high up on her list of favorite types.

"All I see are the regular old ones." Of course, there was one particular crack that bothered her, but she could have sworn it had been there beforehand.

"Hmmm. Me, too. I don't see none of them big ones that could cause us some trouble," Clay mumbled, still scrutinizing the walls with a keen eye. "All righty then. C'mon. Let's go get some lunch." Tate smiled at the thought of food, turning away from the rocks as she walked with Clay back towards the elevator. The two climbed onto the elevator, Clay hit the button, and they were off.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think? Tell me in a review! I read them all! <strong>

**~ Peaches **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two. Chapter three should be posted sometime later today, and hopefully a new chapter of Unlicht will be up, too! :3**

* * *

><p>"Now, what do we do with him?" The grunts stood over Salvatore's almost motionless body. "We could just leave him here."<p>

"Nah. What if somebody finds him?" his cohort retorted. "We'd be screwed, especially if he survives."

"He'll die before the day is over. If we leave him, people will think he was attacked by a wild pokemon."

The other snorted. "Please. Wild pokemon attacking a ranger? He would survive by taming it and befriending it. That's too farfetched."

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas." Both men glared at one another, turning slightly to point fingers.

"Don't talk to me that way! I'm your superior grunt!"

"Hush! Superior my foot! If anybody's a superior, it's me!"

Sal glanced up at them in annoyance. Couldn't they just agree to leave him there? He could find a way to get out of the forest and get help if they would just leave him alone... Although, he could hardly move, the pain was so great. His ribs were cracked and broken, his arms just the same. The two hooligans standing above him had made sure to beat him and break him. Bruises marred his usually peach-colored skin, his fingers bloody from trying to claw at them and the dirt. A thin line of blood streamed down from the corner of his mouth all the way to the front of his shirt.

"Damn you!" There was a shout and a sick thud as one punched the other, knocking him backwards. He ran a hand over his mouth, wiping away a bit of the blood, before lunging at his assailant. The two grunts were no longer beating on Sal, but trying to wail on each other, throwing punches, kicks, and whatever else they could find lying around on the ground.

The two grunts shoved each other around, teetering over the edge of the water, before staggering forward again and slamming each other against a tree. The leaves at the top shook with the impact, squealing angrily. "What the hell?" One grunt looked up, confusion on his face, but it was quickly replaced by pain and surprise as he was decked in the face.

Just before the punch-thrower could step away from the tree he had been slammed against, a squealing little body fell from the foliage, colliding with his head and taking him to the ground with an 'oof'! The other stepped back, nursing his bloody nose as he looked on in disgust as the bug type squirmed all over his compatriot.

"That's disgusting!"

"Get it off of me!" he snarled, shaking away the pokemon. "I hate bug types!" The squirming little creature darted away as fast as its multiple legs would carry it, disappearing into a nearby bush. "Help me up, would you?"

"No way. You punched me in the face!" the other replied angrily, still holding his nose. "Besides, you've got bug juice all over yourself."

The grunt on the ground ran his hands over his head and through his hair, his eyes narrowed with disgust. "Ugh. I HATE BUG TYPES!"

His cohort looked at the bush, before looking back up to the tree. "So that's what all the squealing was about. Huh. Maybe we disturbed a nest."

"Shut up, idiot. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we take care of this ranger." A droplet of the same 'bug juice' already on his head dripped out of the canopy of trees, plopping down on his shoulder.

"Told ya. There's a whole nest of 'em up there, I'll bet you." He stepped forward to look up and into the trees, his entire body freezing as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh..."

"What?"

"I don't think that's bug juice on your head..."

"What else could it be, then?"

"... Look..."

The one on the ground tilted his head back, looking up into the tree. "What is it? I don't see what... Oh, crap."

As soon as these words were uttered, both men were screaming and darting away, just barely avoiding the sharp beak of an angry Mandibuzz. The dark-and-flying type swooped down and back up, squawking and pecking at them as they bolted around in circles trying to fight it off.

"Forget the ranger! This thing's going to kill us!" The grunts fled the scene without another thought about Salvatore, leaving him to die in the grass beside the water.

"Finally!" Sal breathed a sigh of relief, but even that motion made his ribs ache worse than before. His eyes drooped closed, the gentle breeze sweeping through his blonde hair. It was surprisingly peaceful considering what had just happened. Mandibuzz continued to circle above him, searching for its lost prey, he assumed. The bug type was long gone now.

For now, however, there was only one thing left for Salvatore to do. He had to get out of the forest somehow and get his wounds tended to. Or else... Sal didn't want to think about what might happen. The good part about being a ranger and having to report to the base was that he was always given a call button that he kept on his belt. It was in the shape of a pokeball.

Sal slowly attempted to move his hand towards the button, gritting his teeth at the pain. His hand never even left the ground, a frustrated sigh passing his lips. How to get the call button pressed? And then it struck him - Mandibuzz! With a feeble voice, he called out to it.

"Mandibuzz!"

The pokemon squawked, still circling, but dipping down, training its keen eyes on his injured body. Did it view him as an injured pokemon? He'd have to take that risk, calling out to Mandibuzz again. This time, the pokemon swooped down lower, landing on an offset branch just a few feet away from and above him. It tilted its head to the side, before squawking.

Sal glanced down at the call button, hoping that the bird pokemon would understand what he wanted. Mandibuzz lowered itself onto the ground, walking towards him carefully, its long neck craned outward. "That's it, just come a little closer, see," he coaxed, coughing afterward. It hurt his entire body to cough like that, so he tried to keep his voice low.

Mandibuzz leaned over, pecking at his torso once. He yelped out of pain, jerking slightly, only to collapse back to his original position with a groan. Sal glanced down at the button again, trying to nod towards it somewhat unsuccessfully. The bone-decorated pokemon, however, got the message - at least, to an extent. Mandibuzz pecked at the call button, not pressing it, but pulling it off.

"Wait - no, don't-"

The bird type tossed the call button to the ground, pecking at it curiously. Salvatore stared up at the tree leaves, his vision fuzzy from the pain. He held back his sigh of exasperation as he looked over Mandibuzz, who was still examining the call button, before pushing it aside with its talons and coming over to peck at his body again mercilessly.

Sal understood that Mandibuzz was looking for food. He also understood that if he died there, he might just be the pokemon's next meal. The clock was slowly ticking away, his time running out, and it was beginning to piss him off.

"Mandibuzz, please," he begged, wondering if it even remotely understood what he was saying.

If it did, it was ignoring him. The shudder of fear that ran through his body made the pain worse, his head turning and his teeth gritting. Mandibuzz was searching around his belt now, nearing the small pouch of berries he kept on his person at all times. It never hurt to befriend pokemon by enticing them with nature's fruit. The pecking became more persistent now, and just as painful.

Sal paused, the gears in his mind turning, grinding together. "Mandibuzz! I'll give you berries if you press the call button."

By the way the pokemon responded, he was assured that it understood human speech. Mandibuzz quickly turned its head, adeptly assuming the pokeball like thing it had discarded earlier was this 'call button'. It squawked, beating on the button with its beak numerous times as the small device lit up and made beeping noises.

Salvatore's eyes closed out of relief. The base would receive his distress signal and send another ranger out to find him. "The pouch," he muttered, his mind going fuzzier than his eyes. He distinctly felt a beak digging in the small pouch, and with whatever sense of sight he had left, he saw it scarfing down berries. With a sweeping wave of relief, Sal slipped into an oddly peaceful unconsciousness, the pain disappearing like leaves on the wind.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what did you think? Tell me in a review! <strong>

**~Peaches**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've had this chapter finished for about a month now, but I never got around to posting it. *facepalm* Thanks to Zangoose-Kira and E werewolf for reviewing so far! :) Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>After lunch, Tate had left the diner to head for the pokemon center nearby. It was part of a weekly routine she had established since coming to Driftveil City a month or so prior. Originally, she was a native of Nimbasa City, a regular attendee of the baseball and football games. Her dream of becoming a first class trainer had never panned out, so her alternative was to find a job working in the big stadium.<p>

That didn't pan out, either.

Her starter pokemon, Snivy, was too sick to fight, let alone travel. Of course, she had gotten him for free from some guy off the street, so no wonder he was so sick and so frail. The entire weekly routine of walking to the pokemon center after lunch on Wednesdays was so that Nurse Joy could look him over to make sure he hadn't gotten any worse.

The nurses in Nimbasa City had advised her to get a second opinion in another town, and since the treatments he sometimes required were far from free, she needed a job to help pay for it. Since the job at the stadium didn't come her way, she stuffed a duffel bag and made the short journey out to Driftveil City, not only to get a second opinion, but to find a job. Her mother still had to take care of her three younger siblings, along with her own pokemon, so Snivy was Tate's responsibility altogether.

"Hey, Nurse Joy," she greeted, walking up to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, Tate," Nurse Joy replied, smiling as she always did. "I'll see Snivy right away."

"Thanks. He's been eating all his food and I think he's getting stronger." The girl couldn't help but hope that maybe her pokemon would recover and she could start her own journey, challenging gyms and racking up tough rivals. She often daydreamed about being the strongest of the strong, with a Serperior as her best friend and greatest partner.

But she was just fishing in the air.

Nurse Joy smiled again, her eyes sparkling as she took Snivy's pokeball from Tate's hands. "That's wonderful, Tate. I'm sure that he'll be all better soon."

"Great! Thanks! Would you mind if I stayed with him while you look him over?"

"Not at all. The examination room is right back here." Nurse Joy led Tate back into the examination room, the equipment all sitting neatly in three corners of the room. In the fourth was a computer atop a desk, with a rolling chair pushed in. It reminded Tate of visiting the doctor's office when she was little, seeing all of the devices tucked in their spots in a pristine fashion.

The nurse let Snivy out of his pokeball and onto the table, before turning to grab what she would need to give him the proper examination. Snivy's creamy white underbelly and chest were still pale, as they had always been, and the usually dark, luscious green color of his back and head were a pale green. His red eyes were dull, but he was happy to see Nurse Joy and happy that his trainer had stayed with him this time.

He waited patiently, accustomed to the all-too-familiar check-up room, observing his trainer and the nurse. Tate pulled up the rolling chair to sit beside the table, resting her chin on her folded arms, which were propped on the table. Snivy moved towards her, wishing to climb into her arms so he could be warm, too. He didn't remember much of his first trainer - the man who had sold him to Tate - except for the fact that he had a very large and very mean Stoutland.

Snivy liked Tate right off the bat for this one reason, that she didn't have any other pokemon that were big or scary or mean. In fact, he was her only pokemon, and that made him happy. The only thing he didn't like about her was that she always smelled like cigarette smoke.

The little green pokemon clambered into Tate's arms, sniffing around her jacket as he got comfortable, even if just for a few moments. Tate rubbed his head with her thumb, his eyes drooping closed when he let out a little sigh. "You'll be just fine, Snivy. I promise."

Nurse Joy approached the table again, setting down a few small instruments that human doctors would use on their patients for a regular, routine check-up. "Has he been feeling as tired as usual?"

"Yeah. He still sleeps as much, but like I said, he's been eating all his food. Do you think he'll evolve if he gets his strength back?"

"If he makes a full recovery, he'll be just as fit as any other pokemon, so I don't see why he wouldn't."

Tate smiled at the thought of little Snivy evolving into a sleek, sly Servine. Snivy was content to stay just the way he was, although whenever his trainer showed him pictures of other Servine and Serperior, he did wonder what it would be like to be stronger. And if it made Tate happy, he would be happy.

She set him back on the table, watching as he fought to keep his eyes open while he turned back towards Nurse Joy. With gentle hands, she carefully examined his tail, back, stomach, neck, and head. She used the small light to examine his eyes, nose, and mouth, before checking his heartbeat. Tate waited with far less patience than her pokemon.

"Well? Is he doing all right?"

Nurse Joy set her stethoscope down as she gently rubbed his head. "His heart sounds the same as it did last week, which is good. Snivy might have a little case of the common cold, so I'll give you some special pokemon medicine for him. We don't want him to get anything too serious, or it could jeopardize his recovery. But, for now, that seems like that's the only issue."

Tate sighed, taking Snivy in her arms. "That's good. I'll make sure his cold gets taken care of."

Nurse Joy nodded, putting away her tools as Snivy curled up in his trainer's arms, closing his eyes. "Tate, maybe you should let him get some fresh air sometime. There was a boy who lived in the Hoenn region - I think his name was Wally. He was very sick, too, and as he spent more time with his pokemon and got some fresh, clean air, he grew stronger. That could be what Snivy needs."

Tate frowned. "This is a mining town, though..."

Again, the nurse nodded, turning back to Tate. "Maybe you should visit Nuvema Town. It's a very small, pleasant place where the air is fresh."

"But, I'm still behind on payments for Snivy's treatments... And my job is here..." Tate wanted Snivy to recover, but she needed to be able to pay for his prior treatments, too. "Would I be able to find a job there?"

"Well, if I were you I would visit the town first to see if it helps Snivy. If it does, then you should look for a place to stay and a job. For now, you should keep the one you have working for Clay," Nurse Joy advised. "And, I think you should find another pokemon to keep Snivy company. The other pokemon can cheer him up."

Tate paused for a while, letting Nurse Joy's advice soak in. How was she supposed to capture another pokemon if Snivy wasn't fit to battle? "What sort of pokemon do you suggest I catch?" The girl frowned, scratching her head thoughtfully. Snivy was so small, he wasn't hard to support in one arm.

"A small pokemon, for sure. It's your choice, but you should pick one that can't do too much damage to Snivy in case they get in a squabble."

"Okay. Thanks Nurse Joy!" Tate bowed to the pink-haired woman, who then bowed in return, before the girl retreated with her pokemon in her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think? Tell me what you thought! <strong>

**~Peaches**


End file.
